The aim of this presentation is to provide an insight on an innovative doctoral programme, namely the European Doctorate in Teacher Education (EDiTE), the only European Joint Doctorate in education implemented under the auspices of Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions of the European Union (EU). The EDiTE initiative is currently implemented by University of Innsbruck, University of Lisbon, University of Lower Silesia, Eötvös Loránd University, and Masaryk University. The project has reached its third year and currently connects more than 60 people in a network of early-stage researchers, professors, supervisors, teachers, school principals and educational professionals.

EDiTE developed over the period of two phases; firstly as part of LLP Erasmus programme (2012-2014), and currently under Horizon 2020 (2015-2019). It has been highly supported by the European Network on Teacher Education Policies (ENTEP) and aims to optimise the use of doctoral study programmes in shaping researchers and teaching professionals (Iucu & Schratz, 2013). Through a cross-national curriculum, joint research events, interaction with partner organisations, and a mobility period to a partner university, EDiTE contributes to provision and qualification in European Higher Education Area and raises awareness of what constitutes the ‘Europeanness’ of teacher education (Schratz, 2014). Early stage researchers position their individual research topics under the joint theme of ‘Transformative teacher learning for better learning in an emerging European context’ and contribute to teacher education discourses from a European and comparative perspective (Rasiński, Tóth, & Wagner, 2017).

Looking back to the development of EDiTE, as well as the perspectives of actors involved in the current phase of implementing the project, the presentation will address the following research questions:

• To what extent and how does EDiTE contribute to the European Teacher Education Area?
• Which are the potentials and challenges of implementing a European Joint Doctorate?
• How do participants of EDiTE perceive the implementation of the project so far?

Through this presentation, audience will gain insights on how a transnational research project is implemented in diverse national contexts, especially with regard to a sensitive topic such as (teacher) education. A critical analysis is attempted, considering both potentials and challenges of the project, offering relevant suggestions for similar academic endeavours in the future.

The input for this presentation was gathered from various publicly available materials produced during the current and previous phase of the project. Analysis of documents, research papers, and online sources provides an overview of the stated goals of the project. Moreover, an autobiographical research perspective is adopted, employing narratives of researchers participating in the project, as well as supervisors, partners and advisors. This provides a deeper insight on how the stated goals have actually been implemented, revealing potentials and challenges of such complex academic endeavour.

Presenting the insights and potentials of a European Joint Doctorate such as EDiTE results in findings at three levels. Firstly, with regard to teacher education, the idea of EDiTE materialises the potential of research based teacher education, linking theory to practice, and promoting a European dimension in teacher education programmes. It creates a scientifically qualified generation of professionals working across borders and thus contributes to the European Teacher Education Area. Secondly, with regard to European Joint Doctorates, it reveals the potential of transnational cooperation among universities, but also highlights the challenges posed by national institutions and bureaucracies to align expectations and produce a harmonized doctoral programme. Last but not least, with regard to the experiences of EDiTE participants, the presentation highlights the personal stories of shaping researchers and teacher education professionals.

Iucu, R. & Schratz, M. (2013). European Doctorate in Teacher Education. Presented at the 9th International Scientific Conference eLearning and Software for Education, Bucharest April 25-26, 2013. Available at: http://proceedings.elseconference.com/index.php?r=site/index&year=2013 Rasiński, L., Tóth, T., & Wagner, J. (2017). European Perspectives in Transformative Education. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Dolnośląskiej Szkoły Wyższej We Wrocławiu. Retrieved from http://www.edite.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/EPTE_online.pdf Schratz, M. (2014). The European Teacher: Transnational Perspectives in Teacher Education Policy and Practice. CEPS Journal, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 11-26.